2000
#12,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,384
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Pando
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "pandus," meaning bent or curved, likely referring to a physical characteristic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,292 Americans carry the last name Pando. That puts it at #10,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pando surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,117
Census rank
#10,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,871 bearers of the surname Pando in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pando, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pando
The surname Pando has its origins in Spain, with records indicating its use dating back to the 16th century. Derived from the Spanish verb "pandar," meaning "to sway or bend," the name likely referred to someone who walked with a distinct gait or had a particular physical characteristic. It is also believed to have connections to the Latin word "pandus," which translates to "bent or crooked."
Early records show the name Pando appearing in various regions of Spain, including Andalusia, Castile, and Galicia. In the 16th century, a man named Juan Pando was recorded as a landowner in the town of Seville. Another notable figure from this period was Pedro Pando, a soldier who fought in the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
Moving into the 17th century, the name Pando gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. In 1624, a document from the Spanish settlement of Santa Fe, New Mexico, mentions a man named Diego Pando, who was a prominent landowner and rancher.
The 18th century saw the rise of a prominent Pando family in the Spanish colonial city of Havana, Cuba. Miguel Pando, born in 1745, was a wealthy merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs.
As the centuries progressed, the name Pando continued to appear in various regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In the 19th century, José Pando y Valle, born in 1824, was a notable Peruvian politician and military leader who served as the President of Peru from 1876 to 1879.
Another notable figure with the surname Pando was Manuel Pando y Trelles, born in 1834, who was a Cuban writer, journalist, and intellectual. He was a prominent figure in the Cuban independence movement and played a significant role in the island's literary and cultural circles.
In more recent times, Edmundo Pando, born in 1926, was a renowned Bolivian politician and diplomat who served as the President of Bolivia from 1938 to 1939.
Throughout its history, the surname Pando has been associated with various professions, including landowners, soldiers, merchants, politicians, and writers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pando
Among Census respondents with the surname Pando, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pando bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pando surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.3% · 2,450
- White13.1% · 376
- Two or more races0.8% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pando
Pando appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
+681 bearers (+28.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 1,542 places
2020
#10,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,871
-194 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,022 | 2,384 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,480 | 3,065 | 1.04 | +681 bearers (+28.6%) | Up 1,542 places |
| 2020 | #10,638 | 2,871 | 0.96 | -194 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 158 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pando surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,480 | #10,638 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,065 | 2,871 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.96 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pando bearers went from 3,065 to 2,871 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,480 to #10,638.
FAQ
Pando surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pando?
Name Census estimates that about 3,292 living Americans carry the surname Pando. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,117 residents.
How common is Pando?
Pando ranks #10,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,871 people with the surname Pando. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,292), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pando.
Has Pando become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pando went from 3,065 recorded bearers to 2,871. That is a decrease of 194 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,480 to #10,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Pando?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pando, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pando in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (2,450 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pando appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.3%), White (13.1%), Two or More Races (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pando (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pando mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "pandus," meaning bent or curved, likely referring to a physical characteristic. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pando (0.96 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Pando?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.